Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Comics Unmasked!

This Friday sees the start of a comics exhibition set to run all summer. Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK is at the British Library from May 2nd to 19th August 2014.The exhibition focuses on the anti-establishment edge that British comics have often featured, from children's comics such as Action to adult 'underground' titles such as Knockabout Comics. Sounds great! I'll definitely be visiting at some point. Here's the info from their website:

Comics Unmasked is the UK’s largest ever exhibition of mainstream and underground comics, showcasing works that uncompromisingly address politics, gender, violence, sexuality and altered states. It explores the full anarchic range of the medium with works that challenge categorisation, preconceptions and the status quo, alongside original scripts, preparatory sketches and final artwork that demystify the creative process.

Enter the subversive and revelatory world of comics, from the earliest pioneers to today’s digital innovators.

Parental guidance

Parental guidance is advised for visitors under 16 years of age due to the explicit nature of some of the exhibits on display. Within the exhibition, there is a separate section examining sexual themes which visitors can by-pass if they wish.

Please be aware that the Library retains the right to request proof of age. Visitors under 16 years of age who are unaccompanied by an adult will not be admitted.

Just spent a happy couple of hours at the press launch for ‘Comics Unmasked’. You can get the general gist of it from the British Library’s website, so here are a few subjective thoughts… I’ve seen a lot of rare comics through my work at the Cartoon Museum and my own solo escapades, so it was nice to see quite a few things that I’d heard about but never encountered, such as a 4 ft Alley Sloper ventriloquist doll from the 19th Century (if you find toy clowns scary, this will have you fainting with terror); there’s a copy of the booklet put out by the British Communist Party in the 50s to try and ban US-style ‘horror comics’; life-sized mannikins dressed as Occupy protestors in ‘V’ masks are stood around everywhere; there’s a lot of obscure radical small-press titles, a room devoted to ‘erotica’, and –yay- you can see the actual Oz strip that collaged Rupert Bear’s head onto a very rude Crumb strip. There’s not a lot of original art, the exhibits are the comics themselves, but there are a few nice pieces, including V for Vendetta, Watchmen and Zenith. The whole thing wraps up in a room devoted to, um, not comics… in that it’s full of interactive computer comics, Batman computer game footage, Gorillaz on a big screen… you know, the kind of stuff that isn’t comics in the same way that movies aren’t books… but yes, I know, I’m old and in the way…Oddly, in an exhibition that mostly reflects subversion in comics, there’s no mention made of the Beano – tame now, but Dennis, Bash St, etc were to my mind pretty radical in the 50s. And I don’t recall seeing any VIZ.If you like looking at old comics this is definitely worth the admission, but be prepared for the gnawing frustration of looking at the comics but being unable to pick them up… like beautiful unattainable women.

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About this blog:

Established in 2006, BLIMEY! is dedicated to British comics past and present.

The images of old comics on my blog are copyright their respective publishers and are only used here for review purposes. They have been scanned from my own personal comics collection, in over 50 years of collecting.

Trolling will not be published, nor responded to here or elsewhere. Piracy is not supported, so please don't ask for full scans of comics/serials. All good? Great! I hope you enjoy browsing this blog.

About Me

I work as a professional humour comics artist and writer and have been freelancing full time since 1984, creating many characters such as TOM THUG, PETE AND HIS PIMPLE, COMBAT COLIN, BRICKMAN, ROBO-CAPERS, DEREK THE TROLL, SUBURBAN SATANISTS and others.
I've freelanced for IPC, Marvel Comics, Egmont, Panini,D.C. Thomson, and many others, covering the comics field from originated characters to licensed properties, pre-school to adult on comics such as BUSTER, OINK!, BEANO, DANDY, TRANSFORMERS, SONIC THE COMIC, TOXIC, VIZ, CiTV TELLYTOTS, LEGO ADVENTURES, HERMAN HEDNING, SWEET FA, ACTION FORCE, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, RAMPAGE, LUCKY BAG COMIC, SWIFTSURE, WARLOCK, WHITE DWARF, ACES WEEKLY, THE DAREDEVILS, THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL, and many more.
My recent comics work has included:'Team Toxic' for Egmont's TOXIC magazine'Postman Prat', 'Kid Cops' and 'The Dark Newt' for THE DANDY'Rasher', 'Pup Parade', 'Big Eggo' and 'Ivy the Terrible' for THE BEANO.
'The Daft Dimension' for DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE.